There has been zero coverage, by any media, of the curious fact that both former Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli's District Court extradition case, as well as his subsequent Eleventh Circuit appeal, were effectively sealed, and remain unavailable to the public and press. Nobody has questioned why the courts have denied access to the pleadings in the files; indeed, we have not even seen any ruling or order that has closed these files to inspection. Why was the appeal also restricted, which is an extremely rare occurrence?
While national security is a valid reason to restrict Federal Court files, there has never been a whisper out there that this is the reason. To the contrary, reliable sources abroad, as we have previously reported, confirm that it is common knowledge in the Republic of Panama that Donald Trump, and one of his sons, engaged in conduct in Panama City that would be extremely embarrassing if disclosed in the media.
There appears to be a news blackout in place. Longtime Panama watchers know that one of the charges that Martinelli has been extradited for include widespread illegal video and audio surveillance of powerful people, caught in private and intimate moments. Martinelli used tapes and videos to blackmail his victims, and the word is that two Trumps are allegedly on the tapes. Is that really why the Martinelli court files were restricted?
Given the wide-ranging Russian election influence investigation conducted by the Office of Special Counsel, and the Russians involved in both sales, as well as purchasers, of the Trump Ocean Club in Panama City, we wonder whether its investigators have read those files.
Chronicles of Monte Friesner - Financial Crime Analyst
Contributed by Kenneth Rijock - Financial Crime Consultant